Just one in a number of similar books about simplicity ( )

Overall, a good read. It was difficult to stay focused- I put it down repeatedly- but whenver I came back to read again, there was another interesting nugget of information that caught my interest.

In the tradition of Malcolm Gladwell's books (Tipping Point, etc), Simplexity uses vignettes to explain complex theories behind...well why things are so complex when they should be simple. The book, however, fails to hold the reader's attention in the same way the Gladwell's books do. Also, this book provides quite a bit of human nature and quite a bit of mathematical explanations. But neither of these is given enough print to fully flesh out the theory, examples, or to present a solution. The author doesn't even provide a bibliography so the reader can look deeper into certain issues. Some of the chapters cover topics that have always interested me, so I know right where to look on my bookshelf for more information.

In short, as a crash course on Complexity theory, this is a good starting point. I just wish the author provided a next step. For books that consider human behavior more purely (as opposed to physicists and mathematicians giving our behavior equations), there are far better places to start. ( )

This book seems to have a great idea but it does not really go anywhere. There are some interesting facts and good review of some complex problems that were solved in the past.

But in the end the main idea fails to come together. Yes a guppie is more complicated than a star, and epidemics are sometimes really simple to solve, etc. There are many facts like this that are engaging by themselves but not really related. ( )

I looked forward to reading this book, since it seemed like a good non-fiction book, but in truth I had a really hard time finishing it. The main premise was promising by the writing was not as engaging as it could have been.

This book was a bit of a conundrum for me as it ran both hot and cold. I found myself either utterly engrossed or completely disinterested at various points not only through the entirety of the book, but even page to page within each chapter.
The highlights were in the details and specific examples given to support and/or explain the various questions posed. There was some fascinating anecdotal evidence mixed up with obscure facts bordering on trivia. These, taken by themselves, made up for some interesting reading.
Where the book fell flat, however, was in the extrapolation of these facts into an overarching hypotheses which purported to explain the concept (even the Study) of "Complexity".
Too much of the writing seemed forced toward meeting the objective of supporting the innately conflicted view of complexity as it was defined by the author. I didn't really care for all of the chapter treatments as some of these seem to have been borrowed from other serious studies, be they economical, social, scientific or psychological, and reworked into a framework to fill out the book's theme.
In general the writing was engaging and forthright. By midway through the book, however, I felt that it wasn't living up to the promise of the theme and I found myself losing interest as I read further.
Overall I do not believe this book is a cohesive view of its subject since the chapters were so disjointed. While it is certainly not a waste of time to read, don't expect to come away with a satisfying clarified view of what "complexity studies" mean in their own right. ( )

After reading some of the reviews, below, I understand why I was unable to stick with reading this to end. I've read some of the other works mentioned, and, while well written, this book simply did not hold my attention... especially when I have a book case with several other books I really want to get to. It was an easy read, but just did not maintain my interest. I'll be kind and say the problem was mine, and not the book. ( )

If you're a fan of Malcolm Gladwell's "Tipping Point," you'll enjoy Jeffrey Kluger's take on complexity and simplicity or as he calls it Simplexity. Like many other books focusing on popular topics such as connectivity, complexity, and chaos, Kluger uses examples and anecdotes to explain his thoughts on today's world. The book is well-written and easy to read. however it lacks concrete statements about his theories and scientific evidence to support his thoughts. I'd recommend Simplexity for those who enjoy light, pop business reading. If you're looking for something more thought provoking, read the works of Malcolm Gladwell. ( )

Jeffrey Kluger's Simplexity inspires to be a book in the genre of Malcolm Gladwell's The Tipping Point or James Surowiecki's The Wisdom Crowds. Unfortunately, it falls just short of reaching this goal.

Without a doubt, Kluger is a gifted writer. He has an excellent command of language, and he does well in creating a story. I believe most readers will find the different topics covered in Simplexity interesting. Kluger provides enough detail about each area without swamping us with too much information that would bog down the story-telling.

The biggest flaw of the book is that it fails to produce an overarching framework to explain this simplicity arising from complexity, and vice-versa. The book lacks a take-home lesson, and at the end I did not feel I had learned some guiding notion or principle that I can apply to other natural or social phenomena.

On the other hand, each of the case examples that Kluger describes is inherently interesting. In fact, Simplexity can be read as a series of independent chapters with no loss of enjoyment or information yield.

So, yes - it is a fun book, especially if you enjoy authors like Gladwell. It simply lacks that Eureka moment where you feel you've learned something universal about complexity/simplicity. ( )

Simplexity was enjoyable and diverting--there were a number of passages I read out loud to my husband--but the author is a writer for _Time_ magazine, so there you are: a little light, a little sweeping, more survey than breakthrough. I particularly enjoyed the sections about sociology and world events, such as the stock market, poverty and disease, and architecture for emergency evacuations. When he gets into topics about which I am knowledgeable (linguistics, quantum physics), the author is a little too high level to be particularly interesting or exactly correct. And, of course, the rant about user interfaces in consumer electronics... well, what's the quote about critics and eunuchs?

This book gave me some ah-has, but I would have enjoyed it better with a different subtitle. It discusses what has hidden complexities and the nature of those complexities, but not why a simple thing would mutate into a complex thing, nor how to improve the simplicity of everyday things. ( )

A book in the mold of Malcolm Gladwell's "Tipping Point" and "Blink", this book never really defines the idea it attempts to analyze. While some interesting stories punctuate the book, they fail to elucidate the author's thesis- which is never made clear in the first place. ( )

Simplexity is a brilliant look at... well, precisely what it says. It loses half a star because of its obvious lack of editing. Almost every page has at least one typo, which makes this otherwise excellent book a bit of a slog to read. ( )

I was really disappointed by this book's lack of substance. I expected Kluger to get around to explaining some actual theory or scientific work going on at Murray Gell-Mann's Santa Fe Institute (which Kluger returns to again and again), but he never got beyond anecdotes and simplistic "storifying," if that's a word.

This book might satisfy business readers looking for Malcolm Gladwell-esque science-lite stories, but readers looking for more substantial popular science will be disappointed. ( )

I was really looking forward to reading this book and, in the end, it's an ok read. I think its main shortcoming is that it covers subject matter that is adjacent to that covered by some really outstanding books, such as Freakonomics, The Tipping Point, and The Black Swan.

(Had I read this book before those books, I'd likely have liked it much more.)

This notwithstanding, there are some solid points in the book. I particularly liked Chapter 4, which dealt with the workplace. It contained a great example of "swift trust" and it's place in the movie industry. (I found this resonated with my experience working with large consulting companies.) Another good section was that which dealt with the skill of language development in youngsters.

Sadly, this book is largely just a collection of interesting chapters, each of which about the size of a feature piece in a magazine, with not much of a larger integration. A proper book on so subtle a subject should be more of a cohesive whole.

(Note: review was an Advance Reading Copy, so the published edition may have editorial improvements.) ( )

This is a simple book on a complex subject.

While a very nifty concept, this book is really a series of anecdotes and stories which never quite seem to rise to the occassion or gel into something greater than the sum. Perhaps I'm being too harsh, expecting something more compelx. But, well, I was. At times the most exciting thing on the page was the italic X in the word Simplexity. Nice effect.

How does a single bullet start a world war? was nice. So let's say this is a good read, just not a great read. It merely lacked depth and philosophy to become a powerful old quite boring tome of higher learning. As is it is a nice, easy, accessible overview of complex tings. Hmmmm. Maybe it works after all. Depends on the target audience. ( )

The anecdotes and bits of data that make up this book are intriguing and very interesting to read. I've heard about some of them elsewhere - the "wisdom of the crowds" idea, that a large group of people guessing the answer to an impossible question (how many marbles does it take to fill up a car, that sort of thing) will average to near the right answer, even though most of them individually get it very wrong, for instance. The discussion about why traffic happens the way it does was also fascinating. I especially liked the chapter that compared the function of cities to the function of bodies.

But that's all it seems to be - a collection of interesting stories. Which, don't get me wrong, I enjoyed reading. I do find these things quite fascinating. But there weren't any any connections made between them or any overarching theories coming to light, so as much as I enjoy the stories, I don't really understand the point of the book. ( )

From the start this book seems to suffer from the clumsy and simplistic attitudes of a writer for Time magazine, incapable of a world view that does not equate evil corporations with environmental ruin, and in which "Nazi" is the ultimate insult.

Kluger provides many examples of the complexities that are entwined within the simplicities of life (and vice versa) -- from public health to social science to technology. These examples provide a great survey of the field. But the book could have been shorter, and I would have appreciated more examples from researchers and conditions outside the Sante Fe Institute. ( )

An enjoyable, informative read. I cannot help but compare this book to the much-hyped "Freakonomics." I found this book to be better written and the anecdotes more convincingly researched. The chapter about human behavior in the face of emergencies was particularly engaing. It did often seem that the author was really stretching to make connections between the different subjects at times. As noted in the book, many of these chapters originally appeared as independent articles. If you want a quick, interesting read that you can pick up and put down easily, this book will fit that bill nicely. If you are looking to learn, "the simple rules of a complex world," good luck to you...this book fails to deliver on that promise. ( )

I love twists on perspective, so was eager to read Simplexity, Jeffrey Kluger’s exploration of the complex undersides of seemingly simple things.

It’s a great premise (and a terrific title!) but I was disappointed in the execution, which ends up with breadth, not depth, as though Kluger had 100 surprising and interesting facts that he wanted to write about if only he could find something to link them. And though his voice is conversational and readable, he derails onto tangents -- in almost every chapter, I needed to return to the chapter title and bullet to refresh myself about what concept he was developing. Yet even then, the titles and bullets didn’t always adequately link the material -- like a novelist's not-quite-right metaphor -- and left a distracting discord. For similar content I’d recommend Levitt/Dubner’s “Freakonomics,” and highly recommend Gladwell’s “Blink” and “The Tipping Point.” ( )

Journey to Nowhere

I waited impatiently for my copy of Simplexity. Having thoroughly enjoyed “The Black Swan,” and “Predictably Irrational,” I was hoping for more of the same – an interesting discussion of some recently studied facet of human behavior. When the book arrived, I settled down expectantly, ready for a good read.

I was disappointed. Big time.

Smplexity offers several interesting anecdotes about complexity, but that’s about it. The book lacks a clear goal. Reading a few anecdotes can be enjoyable, but there’s no compelling thesis to keep you reading through the entire book. It’s easy to put down, hard to pick back up.

Can you really make complex things simple, as the book title suggests? Maybe. Sometimes. Infrequently. However, you won’t find the key to reducing complexity to simplicity in this book.

Overall, “Simplexity” is not a book I’d recommend to my friends. ( )

What is simple? What is complex? The author dives into these topics while moving through a diverse group of subjects. He skips from traffic control to Apartheid with ease. Complexity science is still in it's infantcy, but the author gives a good overview of this new field.

Much more interesting than you would expect, and well written.

Even though it is targeted at the public, a detailed bibliography and footnotes would have been nice. ( )

The book definitely matches with the title in that it tries to explain (at some length) the complexities and simplicities of everyday life (i.e. the unpredictable world of the stock market or how good/bad sports teams tend to lose/win games).

I give Kluger some credit in trying to explain them using anecdotes gleamed from books, news articles, or even real-life situations as support, but I sometimes think that he overdoes it to the point where I end up scratching my head and wondering what the hell do election results have to do with tyrannical leaders and world wars.

Too bad I am not majoring in sociology because this book would have been more pleasant (and probably more interesting) to read from the get-go. ( )

I thought this book was very interesting, but the subtitle is misleading. Klugar does a good job describing where things fall on the simple to complex arc, but he never really explains how simple things become complex or vice versa. He explains why he's placed things where he has on the simplicity/complexity arc but he never goes any deeper than that. There's no real explanation of why a given thing has evolved to be simple or complex.

Still, it was an interesting read. It reminded me a little of Freakonomics, although I think that book did a much better job of explaining why of things. ( )

I was fairly exited to receive the ARC of this title but after going through It I can only say that I'm NOT too impressed with what is presented here.

There seems to be a a lot of similar popular science books out there dealing with irrational behaviorism these days. Mr Kluger shares some interesting and thought provoking observations on human nature but unless you are very easily amused, you will not find anything revolutionary in this body of work. IMHO recent works by 'Steven Johnson' , 'Malcolm Gladwell' or 'Dan Ariely' would be far more worthy of your time.

"Simplexity: Why Simple Things Become Complex (and How Complex Things Can Be Made Simple)" presents a fairly decent set of sociology essays but its publication seems a little pointless to me.

All in all this was an amusing collection of anecdotes but there is no ground breaking content here. ( )